Read the case: John Lewis Partnership (pages 239-243)
Then, address all the following questions:
- Draw a process flow diagram for the current SANDC?
- [Hint:] If you don’t know what a process flow diagram is, see, for example, the top three flow charts on this site: warehouse-material-flowchart. https://www.interlakemecalux.com/warehouse-manual/warehouse-design/warehouse-material-flowchart
- With the changing demand patterns, fewer full bins are being required, and a greater proportion of goods need to be picked at the picking stations. What alternatives may be considered to accommodate this?
- Should home shopping continue to have its own dedicated area within the SANDC, with its own inventory and OSR equipment? How flexible is a SANDC to such changes in demand patterns, and what are likely to be the key implementation issues for any future operational change?
- Continuous improvement is being sought in all operations. How can the present SANDC operation be improved still further in terms of efficiency, service levels, ergonomics and sustainability? What areas may be worthy of examination?
- [Hint:] For questions 2 to 4, if needed, you may propose new flow designs by modifying the current flow diagram that you did for Q1.
Responses should be uploaded as a word document or PDF, 1.5 line spaced and 12-pt font, and at least 2 pages for the 4 questions combined. Please use a question and answer format. Professional writing, full sentences (no bullet points), and proper grammar, punctuation, capitalization, etc. are required.